Developing Extension Competence in Good Agricultural Practices and Farm Food Safety Planning for Fruit and Vegetable Growers in Kansas and Missouri

Developing Extension Competence in Good Agricultural Practices and Farm Food Safety Planning for Fruit and Vegetable Growers in Kansas and Missouri

Summary

The goal of this project is to train a group of extension educators who work with fruit and vegetable producers in order to develop a better-coordinated effort to raise grower knowledge of food safety practices, and GAPs (Good Agricultural Practices) in particular. Due to recent activity surrounding food safety outbreaks, food safety concerns are high among consumers and GAPs certification is required for wholesale markets. The immediate audience for this project is agricultural professionals (primarily extension agents/educators, Department of Agriculture, personnel, and other grower-educators) in Kansas and Missouri who producers turn to for information and assistance as they attempt to develop and implement farm food safety plans. A Farm Food Safety Plan is a critical piece of documentation that is required by GAPs certification, and this could be an important barrier for small-acreage and diversified growers. In particular, several extension educators in KS and MO work with Amish and Mennonite growers, and one of the goals of this project is to provide education for our agricultural professionals that can serve the needs of this important and growing group of vegetable producers. Professionals educated under this project will gain competence and confidence and will serve as valuable resources both for serving producers and for education other agricultural professionals.

Objectives/Performance Targets

• Agricultural professionals in Kansas and Missouri knowledgeable about farm food safety planning and certification procedures for GAPs.
  Agricultural professionals that can assist producers to achieve Good Agricultural Practices and Good Handling Practices (GAPs/GHPs) certification in order to meet requirements of wholesale markets.
  Strengthened, safer local food systems as a result of expanding access to markets and increased adoption of farm food safety practices.
  Short-term Outcomes: 28 trainees in farm food safety requirements and resources for certification and the capacity to assist producers, including those with limited access to technology
  Medium term Outcomes: Training of at producers by agricultural professionals that participated in the project workshops/training, and increasing producer awareness of GAPS, even by those not seeking certification as a result of producer interactions with knowledgeable professionals.
  Long-term Outcomes: stronger, safer local and regional food systems in Kansas, Missouri and the surrounding region.

Accomplishments/Milestones

In 2010, several milestones were made towards accomplishing the goals of the project. A GAPs/Food Safety training was held in Owensville, Missouri. Prior to the daylong workshop for grower educators, 15 individuals were selected to participate in the National GAPs Program Online Food Safety Training. University of Missouri Extension project Training Coordinator worked with the National GAPs program personnel to establish a special session of this Online Food Safety Training specifically for the project participants. At the workshop in Owensville, participants were equipped with a number of educational materials to use as they begin to assist producers in the development of their Farm Food Safety Plans. These materials were sourced from the National GAPs Program and from Rutgers University. Speakers at the workshop included the MU Extension Training Coordinator, an individual from the industry who has helped to gain GAPs Certification for a number of farms associated with his business, and a USDA-AMS GAPs Auditor. Topics covered by the speakers included a review and assessment of the Online Produce Safety Course, a perspective on the implementation of GAPs on Missouri farms, how to apply GAPs to farms in Missouri, a small discussion group session on how to create an educational program on GAPs, and various auditing scenarios. The workshop provided an opportunity for participants to interact with a USDA-AMS Auditor which has blossomed into a well-established relationship. Since the workshop in Owensville, this same auditor has accepted invitations from various participants to present at or attend food safety trainings that MU Extension specialist hold, including the multi-state Great Plains Growers Conference.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

The food safety workshop held in Missouri had significant impacts as we were successful at training 19 agriculture professionals who interact with and train growers. A follow-up survey (15 of 19 participants) conducted 15 months after the training demonstrates the impact of this project. Project participants were asked to describe how they have used the information learned from the training to educate others:
• 100% of participants indicated that they were better able to answer questions and 116 clients were given assistance.
• 93% indicated that they would incorporate new ideas into current and regular programming and this information was utilized in at least 40 programs.
• 40% indicated that they would design special programs surrounding this topic and 8 special programs were contributed to by agricultural professionals that received this training.
• Participants in the 2010 workshop wrote 3 newspaper columns and contributed to 1 radio talk show and made significant contributions surrounding the topic of food safety and GAPs

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